Bottle-closure.



0. DE W ITT. BOTTLE CLOSURE. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 11, 1909.

Patented Feb.20,1912.

InVentbr- I 'Witnes ses UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES DE WITT, OI BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR '10 CHARLES CAWTHORNE -CARTEB, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

nomn-cnosuan.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 20, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

'- Be it known that I, CHARLES DE Wrrr, a

citizen of the United States, residing in Baltimore, Maryland, have invented certain Improvements in Bottle-Closures, of which the following is a s ecification.

My invention re ates to bottle closures especially adapted for use on milk bottles, although applicable to various kinds of bottles.

Heretofore it' has been customary to use on milk bottles an inside closure consisting of a paper disk seated upon a ledge a short distance below the mouth' of the bottle, and

different modifications of this form of closure are used. Experience-has demonstrated that there are serious objections to the use of this form of closure, especially for milk bottles, since it' promotes an accumulation 'of dirt in and about the bottle neck and contributes to an unsanitary handling of the bottle, as it frequently happens that the bottles are refilled in transit by the handlers and drivers who deliver the milk to different places. In this refilling it is a common occurrence for bottles to be taken from hospitals or other places where contagious dis-- eases exist and milk introduced therein and disks' applied to the bottles by the hands of the manipulators, obviously resulting in an unsanitary condition, which is a serious menace to the health of the community.

The object of-my invention is to rovide such a closure, particularly for m1 k bottles, that renders impossible the serious ob jections noted, and I providefor this purpose by making an outside closure, as distinguished from an inside closure, which must necessarily be applied by machinery by the proper appliances at the bottling plant or distributing-station, thus making it impossible for the bottles-to be tampered with in transit.

With. the object stated in view, my invention consists in the novel construction of bottle closure and the manner of applying the same to the bottle neck, and the details thereof as hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawing, and more particularly pointed out in the claims. In the rawing: Figure 1is a view of a bottle nec showing the first step in the application of my improved closure; Fig. 21s a similar view showing the second and last step; Figs. 3 and 4 are similar views showfiange 5 projecting therefrom.

ing modified mode .of applying the cap or the numeral 1' indicates the bottle neck which, in the form shown in Figs; 1 to 4, is provided with a bead 2 at the top, which is somewhat enlarged or exaggerated in order to more fully illustrate the'invention.

In order to apply my closure to the bottle I form a cap f paper or equivalent material which is susceptible of a certain degrce of compression andadapted to retain the form in which it is compressed, and apply the same to the bottle neck, as indicated in Fig. 1, the diameter of the cap being slightly less than the greatest-diameter of the bead It will be noted that this cap 3 is in the form of a cap comprising a main body 4 having a plain dependlng When the cap 3 is applied to the bottle neck, as indicated in Fig. 1, a die A, operated in any suitable manner by any suitable means, is forced down upon the bottle neck and cap, forcing the latter over the bead 2, whereby the mm of the cap is first expanded as it is forced. beyond the greatest diameter of the bead and thence, under this abnormal tension, the lower edge of the flange, when the die'has firmly pressed the cap into contact with the bottle mouth, contracts and ing the cup-shaped cap with plain depending flange and compressing the latter upon the bottle neck in'one operation; again, the cup-shaped cap may, if desired, 1t is obvious, be applied to the die first and the latter operated as indicated, forcing theca into the position shown in Fig. 2, or this operation may be effected in any way well known to the art, as the mechanism for applying the cap forms no part of my present invention.

As a modification of the above described form of the invention, the ca 3 may be applied to the bottle neck as own 1n Figs.

- shown in 3 and 4, and then forced into position by. a roller C, suitably shaped, which causesfthe plain depending flange of the cap to be compressed a ainst and around the head 2, as

i 4. A further modification is shown in Figs. 5 and 6, wherein the bottle neck is provided with a plurality of beads 2 upon which the cap may be compressed by the action of a roller in a similar manner to that shown in Figs. 3 and 4, or the said cap, in this instance, may be compressed on the bottle neck, as before described.

Further modificatiohs are shown in Figs. 7 and 8, in the former of which views is shown a bottle neck 1, provided with one or more beads or ridges 2", havin a groove 6 below each ridge or bead, an having one or more longitudinal slots 7 in the periphcry of said bead or ridge, preferably intersecting the said groove. This form insures a firm hold of the flange of the cap upon the bottle neck, to which said cap may be applied by roller dies D, as indicated, or other suitable devices. In Fig. 8 the beads or ,ridges 2. are undercut, 'flS shown, the grooves 6, being similar to those in Fig. 7, and the cap being applied, ifdesired, by compressive roller E, or any other suitable device.

- From the abovede'sci'iption of myinvention, it will be noted that an outside closure is provided which can ,onlybe applied in the proper manner to the bottle by the use of machinery,v"and consequently said ca s can only be placed upon the bottles at t e bottling plantor distributing station under the proper" supervision to' insure sanitary man pulation ofthe bottles, and furthermore'there. can be no tamperingwith the closures duringtransit thus eliminating, the serious objections which have confronted the problem of .milk distribution in former years... :--W g It will be noted that, when the cap is fixed upon the neck,-the material of the ca will be under abnormal tension, so that-sai cap when in osition on the bottle neck, will have an" errant tendency to contract there upon.

I am aware that it has been proposed, as

a solutionto the'diflicultie's herein specified in connection withthe handling of milk, to

substitute, forthe ordinary inside disk clo-' sure, a composite ap'of metal anda disk of cork or paper seated thereinwnd' applied to the bottle heck b .a' crimping process, similar to the well nown crown pork 01: seal, but this sugggeztion has 'beemahandoaed as im racticable cause ofthe prohibitive costo suchhrcap.

I am also aware that an outside covering has been applied to corked bottles, especially bottles containing wines and spirituous liqother case, by direct "compression under the influence of some compressing tool.

I claim as my invention.

1. A bottle closure'consisting of a bottle having around the mouth thereof an external bead, said bead having a circumferential groove, which opens radially. from the bottle, and a flanged cap, the flanged portion of which has a normal diameter slightly less than that of the bead, said cap being formed of paper susceptible of a certain degree of compression so that whenex'panded under pressure, by being forced over the bead, itwill tightly grip the same by its tendency to return to normal condition, portion of the cap overlyin said groove and being displaced and force into the'groove while the lower edge 'portionof said flang remains gripped to the bead, the fiangeibeing thereby lengthened to provide the said displaced portion thereof.

2. A bottle closure consisting of a bottle having around the mouth thereof "an external bead, said head having acircumferential groove which opens radiallyffroin the bottle, said bead having a plurality of spaced notches formed therein, and a flanged cap formed of paper susceptible of a certain de gree of compression so under pressure by bemgforeed over the bead it will grip the bead by its tendency to return to normal condition, the intermediate portion of the cap being. displaced and forced into locking engagement with said groove while the flange remains gripped to the bead, and ortions of the dis aced part of the flange being struck out t ereof and forced into locking engagement with said notches.

-In testimony name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

" 9mm: G. HANNAL.

the intermediate that when expanded whereof, I have signed my I 

